


Cole Helps

by HeroMaggie



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 03:32:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2052012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeroMaggie/pseuds/HeroMaggie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maev Lavellan is struggling with paperwork problems when Cole pops in to help and reminds her what it means to have friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cole Helps

Bent over her desk, papers piled up to her ears, Maev Lavellan tried to focus on yet another requisition. The Maker himself only knew what half of these reports meant. Troop movement, templar movement, rift placement and demon eruptions peppered the report and broke up the requests for more men, more food, more everything. She dropped her head to the desk, an audible thump the only noise in the room. If she was lucky, she could get five minutes of uninterrupted sleep before Cassandra or Cullen found her and shoved another wad of papers into her hand.

Her eyes were almost closed when the pile of papers at the edge of the desk shivered. She kept her head down as the papers shifted, drifted haphazardly out of the pile. Schooling her face, she stayed like that for a moment, feigning disinterest. When the rustling moved to the other side of her desk, she slowly sat up and watched the young man fade into view.

“Cole.” She tried to keep her voice quiet. The young man was touchy. Despite his willingness to help and his enthusiasm for what they were doing, their goals, he was still a little shy. Maev felt the smile on her face, she couldn’t seem to help it. “What are you doing?”

“You seemed upset at the papers and I thought…maybe I could help you?”

“Oh…” she wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Well…”

“If you don’t want my help, you can say no.” The young man started to fade again as he turned to leave.

“No, no. It’s not that. It’s just…I was…” she sighed. “Honestly? I don’t know what I’m doing here. I was a Keeper's First. I wasn’t taught about troop movements or trade routes. Cast a fireball? I can do that. Figure out what this bit about procuring more troops? Where do I even start? I was just sitting here feeling overwhelmed, that’s all.”

Cole had slowly come back into focus as she talked. He moved to peek over her shoulder and read the paper she was pointing at, his eyebrows scrunching up. “Can’t you ask for help?”

“Well…yes. I’m sure Cassandra or Cullen or Iron Bull…” her voice petered out at the thought of asking Iron Bull to do anything that involved paperwork. “Or Varric maybe. But the thing is, they all seem to think I’m the leader. Shouldn’t leaders know how to do this?” She waved her hand at the stacks of paperwork and then winced when several forms fluttered off her desk.

“I don’t know about that,” Cole said slowly, “But it seems to me…seems to me you have a big keep full of helpers. They should help. I want to.”

She turned to look at him. “I know you do, Cole.”

“Even when they don’t trust me, I still want to do something. Anything. To help. To…feel…a part of it all. It’s important. I learned that from a friend. “

“Well, I’d say you helped me out.” Maev smiled and stood, stretched.

“I did?” Cole’s face scrunched up in confusion. “I didn’t do anything.”

Maev laughed and then sobered, slowly reached out and wrapped a gentle arm around the young man’s shoulders. “You reminded me that I’m not doing this alone. I have people who can help. So thank you for stopping in here and reminding me.”

Cole’s face smoothed out and lit with a shy smile. He leaned into the half-hug for a moment before flitting away. “Glad I could help. I’d better go. I promised Solas I’d stop by and chat later.”

“Wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.” She stood there for a moment, frowning at the pile of paperwork, and then went to find Cullen. Maybe he could explain what these requisition forms were for.


End file.
